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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. file — a line of people
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — boats
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hand — in cards
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a document
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chest — a box
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a tool
  22. hand — help
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rock — a stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com